Everlasting Day
by breelives
Summary: My version of what happens after Breaking Dawn.
1. Preface

everlasting day

BOOK ONE:

Before

There is nothing to be feared from a body, Harry, any more than there is anything to be feared from darkness. . . It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.

-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; chapter 26, The Cave.

Preface

The end can come in many ways. For us, it came in the form of a phone call.

The familiar voice of Alice, usually reassuring and peace-filled spoke in stressed tones through the earpiece.

My body froze. Rage ruled.

My loved ones saw the fire in my eyes and knew, this was it, it had happened.

The war had begun.

Only this war would have one battle.

And many losses.

As I hung up the phone and we began the race back to our family I gazed unblinkingly at the members surrounding me.

How would it feel to lose one of them? How much would it hurt? I couldn't ever imagine. And at that moment I knew, those destroyers of love and binds would pay. We'd take them down before they hurt anyone else. Destroyed any more families.

Before they destroyed ours.


	2. Chapter 1: Suspicions

Suspicions

I was sitting on the piano bench next to Renesmee, Edward on her other side. Her fingers flew across the keys as the most cheerful melody rang through the room. She was showing us her latest composition and just like every other one it was absolutely beautiful. After she pushed the last key her hands immediately reached for ours, asking us if we liked the song. She didn't have to touch Edward for her thoughts to reach him, but she liked to anyway. It helped him focus a little more on her, not that any help was needed; she always had his full attention.

Edward smiled at her touch and squeezed her hand, "Of course. It was lovely, beautiful, magnificent. I can't wait to hear the next and since you come up with them every few days, I won't have long to wait. Honestly, I think you're even better than I am, Nessie."

_Nobody's better than you, Daddy,_ Renesmee disagreed.

Edward laughed, the sound was just as wonderful as Nessie's music.

_ What about you, Momma, did you like it?_ she thought to me.

"Best one yet," I said, kissing the top of her curly head. Nessie beamed.

I was distracted by the sound of gravel crunching under tires. I was so familiar with the sound of the cruiser's engine that I knew it was Charlie. But he was driving a lot faster than he usually drove.

Edward answered the confusion in my head with, "its Charlie, he's upset. The men at the station were bugging him about us again."

"Poor Grandpa," Nessie said aloud as I felt the pity for her human grandfather rise up in her thoughts. I hugged her close, willing her to be happy again; I hated seeing her say.

"Grandpa will be okay," I promised, "He's tough."

"Sure, sure," she said, and I suppressed a laugh. Just like me she'd picked that up from Jacob. In my peripheral vision I saw Edward smile, but Nessie wasn't paying us any attention. She was waiting for the moment when she'd be able to hear Charlie's car too. It bugged her that she didn't have as good of hearing or sight or strength that the rest of us had, and she was constantly checking to see if it had improved at all.

Four seconds after her placating she sighed and the disappointment was clear in her mind. _I wish I was a vampire or a werewolf,_ she thought.

"You're almost completely unique, why in the world would you want to be ordinary?" Edward laughed again.

_Vampires and werewolves aren't ordinary, _Nessie argued silently.

Edward ruffled her hair. "In our world they are. Half vampire, half human however, is extraordinary. And that's just the way we love you."

Nessie rolled her eyes and sighed.

As Charlie parked and slammed the cruiser door she jumped up and danced to the front door. Edward and I also stood to greet my father,

She opened the door and there stood my dad, worry etched in his face, but only for a moment. When he saw Renesmee his face broke into one of his eye crinkling smiles and he opened his arms to her. Nessie jumped into them and hugged him a little to tight. Charlie's breathe caught and she let go immediately, still smiling broadly. She wasn't as strong as a vampire, but she was strong enough.

"Hey, Bells," Charlie greeted me as I came over to give him a hug too.

"Hello, Edward," he said when he released me and held out his hand. Edward shook it and Charlie smiled at him bracingly. My dad had really been trying to be nice to Edward. And he mostly succeeded. Nessie had softened him quite a bit, though. If it wasn't' for her my dad would probably be shoving the same cold shoulder as when Edward had returned. Probably a bit chillier, though.

As Charlie shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on a peg by the door Renesmee slipped on her elbow-length gloves. To Charlie we pretended these were just something she liked to wear, but she really hated being mute, telepathically anyway. But as Charlie still wanted to be on a need-to-know basis we couldn't have him receiving Nessie's thoughts.

Nessie grabbed his arm and led him over to the couch. Edward and I followed. Keeping to the pretense I asked when we sat down, Nessie and Charlie on the couch and Edward and I on the loveseat, "What's wrong Dad? You look upset."

"Was it really that obvious?" Charlie asked pensively.

"Not at all,"

He didn't' seem to believe me, but continued anyway, "The guys down at the station were asking me some questions about you. I remembered you told me you need to know about stuff like that."

"What'd they say?" I prompted.

"Well. . . they're mostly asking if Keira, you know, that name you're using as an alias. . . "

I nodded, people had spotted Nessie and me visiting Charlie's house and we made up a story that I was a long lost cousin of Edward's and that

Nessie was my daughter. Nessie had "gone home to her father" a few months before because she was still growing too fast. She was about the size of a five-year-old now. Keira was staying until the end of summer to continue to get acquainted with her newfound relatives. We knew that wouldn't totally solve the speculation problem but I wanted to be at Charlie's wedding to Sue at the end of the summer.

I thought through all this while I nodded and the moment I stopped I felt Edward stiffen next to me. I glanced at Charlie and Nessie, alarmed, but they were both fine. I looked back at Edward, glared, more like, and his eyes flickered to me and then back to Charlie.

"Ask him why," Edward said without moving his lips.

Charlie didn't seem to have noticed anything peculiar; he was still gazing at us, reluctant to continue his story. But Nessie was staring at us with worried eyes. I saw one of her hands twitch, just longing to question Charlie herself.

"What about Keira, Dad?"

Charlie hesitated, "Uh. . . They're saying. . . Well, just that. . . "

I was sitting on pins and needles and I couldn't handle waiting for him to pluck up the courage to continue. Edward's reaction had frightened me.

I just wanted to know.

"Spit it out, Dad," I told him, probably a little too sharply, but my words prompted him and he spoke so fast I don't think he himself understood what he was saying.

"They asked if Edward and you are broken up or if Edward is cheating on you with Keira or if Edward's even dating Keira at all. But they were pretty much talking like they already knew he is- cheating, I mean."

Charlie paused a moment to take a deep breath and said, his voice more subdued, "I told them that they were wrong, that it wasn't like that. And then they asked why Keira is over at my house sometimes. And I asked what they were doing having stakeouts of my house. And then I told them to mind they're own business."

I kept my face concerned, but inside I was relieved. Not only had Charlie handled the situation well, but it wasn't as bad as I'd feared.

_What in the world was that about?_ I asked through the medium of my thoughts.

"I could never. . . I would never. . . Just them imagining that I could be unfaithful to you. . . it's awful. . . words can't describe. . . "

Even though he was whispering I could hear the pain clear in his voice. I released his hand and wrapped both my arms tightly around his waist. He wound both his arms around me, too and rested his cheek on the top of my head. Charlie seemed disconcerted by our sudden embrace. Nessie distracted him.

"It'll be alright, Grandpa, Momma and Daddy will figure out what to do. Would you like to watch TV? There's probably a game on."

She handed him the remote to him. Charlie took it and began flipping through the channels until he found a baseball game in the second inning. He and Nessie watched it, my dad casting covert glances at Edward and me every few seconds. Eventually the game got his full attention, though and he gazed only at the television.

By the middle of the eighth inning the team Charlie was rooting for was down by one. He was shouting at the TV like they could hear every word he said. Nessie was still sitting at his side, trying very hard not to laugh. Edward and I watched silently, a smile on both our faces. I'd comforted Edward for a while and then we quietly discussed our options. We decided the gossip wasn't worth the stress and we'd continue on as planned. I wanted ot give Charlie a few more months to get used to our world before I threw another need-to-know on his small but strenuous pile.

After the loss of his team, by three more points, Charlie switched to basketball instead. The game hadn't started yet and the announcers were chatting amiably about strategy and players. Charlie listened for a few minutes, seeming only half absorbed, before turning his attention back to us. We were holding hands again, trying to make my dad feel more comfortable.

"So where is everyone?" he asked. He'd already asked the same question yesterday and I wondered if he was requesting the truthful answer, not that I'd give it to him- that would mean giving away what we were.

"Rose, Emmett, Carlisle and Esme are all out camping. Jasper left this morning to visit a couple of friends and Alice is upstairs."

The last two were honest at least. Jasper had gone to see Peter and Charlotte- something he'd been meaning to do for months, Alice was in their room, watching every move he made.

Edward sighed, "She's coming downstairs now."

A second later Alice came dancing down the stairs, a glazed look on her face.

"Howdy, Alice!" Charlie greeted her, but she only nodded. She came to a stop in front of Edward and me. Her face changed to irritation as she focused on Edward.

Not bothering to keep her voice quiet she said, "That _filth_ is trying to dissuade him from our vegetarian habits. Oh, bite me," she said to our looks of alarm, bringing her voice down to a whisper, "Charlie doesn't have a clue what it means." she paused, a dark look coming in her eyes, "but _I _have a clue what _they_ mean. If they keep this up- I'm not sure how much pressure Jasper can handle and if they-"

"Jasper can handle himself just fine. He's not going to cheat. You're only stressing yourself out more by watching his every step. Give him some credit, isn't that what you were always telling me? He'll be fine."

"Shut-up, Edward!" Alice interrupted, her voice loud again, practically a shout, "You don't know anything, _anything_ about how persuasive Peter can be."

"And you do?" Edward said calmly.

Alice's lips pulled back to show her teeth and she growled fiercely. I heard Charlie shift uneasily on the sofa and Renesmee put her arm around his waist reassuringly, or as much of it as she could reach.

Alice glared at Edward for a few more moments, then stalked from the room, probably a little too fast, up the stairs and then back to her bedroom. I knew she was resuming her lookout. Downstairs was quiet except for breathing and two hearts.

"Sorry about that, Charlie, Alice is worried about Jasper,"

Charlie made a noncommittal noise and paused before saying, "Well, I guess I should probably get going. Sue said she was coming over tonight with Seth and Leah."

We all stood and hugged awkwardly.

"Bye, Dad," I called again as he got in the car, "We'll take care of everything."

I knew by his expression that he understood 'everything' to mean the crazy rumors.

As he drove away the three of us stood on the porch, watching and then listening to his departure.

The hunting party got back the next day and Esme decided it was time for the bi-monthly grocery shopping. Before Jacob and Seth started spending so much time at the house Esme had only shopped once a month for pure pretense. Now, with Jacob there every day and Seth almost every other, she had to shop for real, and much more often.

I volunteered to go along even though I knew she didn't need any help. I thought it would help support my alias if I was out assisting with the family shopping. Edward wanted to come too, and though I knew this was very _un_helpful to the pretense, I agreed, because I wanted him close. In many ways I understood Alice's anxiety about Jasper.

Renesmee would of course stay home. She and Jacob had a game of tag planned.

Shopping was quiet and peaceful. Being around humans was effortless for me. I always felt the thirst, but only with some small part in the back of my head. I'd thought several times of how ironic it was: I was the only vampire in our family to have drank human blood, but never killed. Adding to it was the fact that I hadn't even been a vampire at the time I drank it. I had the exact opposite record as Rosalie.

I continued to think about things as we filled our carts with all kinds of food: steak, ribs, hamburger, brats, eggs, fruits, vegetables. Esme insisted that the boys eat some healthy foods, not just chips and soda, even when they whined and complained. After we'd filled up five and a half carts with half the food in the store, Edward took a detour into the medication aisles and came back with diet pills, dropping them into one of his baskets with a smirk.

Esme frowned and I rolled my eyes.

"Hilarious."

"I thought so," Edward said, his eyes twinkling.

I almost reached out to him. Almost. I caught myself in time though. It would be even less helpful if the security cameras caught us kissing.

I suggested we give the wolves a break and we moved to the chip and soda aisle to finish filling up the last basket.

We had just reached the aisle when I heard two familiar voices talking animatedly as the store doors closed behind them. It was Mike and Tyler- and by their footsteps I could tell they were headed toward us.

We acted normal- or as normal as we could while filling the last of six grocery carts, which were lined up on one side of the shelves, blocking access to half of the food in that row.

They seemed to be talking about different movies and the value of renting them. A movie night.

They turned into our aisle and silence fell. In the pause Tyler nodded at Edward and Mike stared between Edward and me. Edward grimaced and I didn't need him to tell me what Mike was thinking. Stupid small town gossips.

As we made our way out of the aisle Tyler and Mike both looked directly into my eyes (which were now the normal topaz of the rest of my family). I smiled weakly at them and continued after Edward and Esme.

Less than a second later I heard both their already fast-beating hearts break into sprints. Edward's face changed drastically form upset to extreme alarm. He urged Esme and me two aisles up, dragging his own carts behind him while we pushed ours.

"What's going on Edward?" I whispered at the same time I heard Mike say to Tyler, "Did you see what I just saw?" I shut my mouth. Both their hearts were still frantic.

"Ya, I think I did," said Tyler weakly.

"That was _Bella_,"

I gasped out loud and felt my well-restrained shield snap back into place, protecting my mind once more. It had been a long time since I'd lost control like this. Esme's eyes were wide with horror. Edward pressed his fingers to his lips.

We all listened harder.

The bones and cartilage in Tyler's neck shifted as he shook his head.

"How's that possible?"

"Surgery?" Mike suggested, "_Dr. _Carlisle Cullen?"

"No surgery could do that, I don't care how good the doctor is. This is insane."

They lapsed into silence.

"We have to do something," Edward said in a tense whisper.

"We can't kill them!" I said in alarm.

"No, Edward," Esme shook her head.

He started pacing too quickly. I cleared my throat and looked pointedly at a security camera. He stopped.

"What else can we do?" he demanded, "The whole town will know by tonight!"

"We can talk to them," Esme suggested.

Edward was about to protest but I cut him off, "That might work! If we could just tell them how important it is that they don't tell anyone- maybe they'd listen. Don't give me that look, Edward. What other choice do we have? We are _not_ going to kill them.

"And what, exactly, are you going to tell them? 'It's alright, my husband just turned me into a vampire, no big deal. Please don't tell.' Do you really think they're going to listen?"

"Edward, we have to try. And we won't tell them what we are, just like we didn't tell Charlie," We were all speaking in fast whispers.

"I think it'd be best if you told them alone, Bella," Esme said reasonably, "They were friends with you. And besides, they're frightened and if we all went it would overwhelm them even more.

"Nobody's going to tell them anything," Edward hissed, "The Volturi. Do either of you remember them? They want to _kill_ us and will use any exuse to do so. We can't have any one else know!"

Esme stared at him beseechingly, but I glared.

Even though the thought of the Volturi sent both uncontrollable chills and anger through me simultaneously I could not stand for murdering two innocent people, especially when we had another option. "I'm talking to them, Edward," And I began walking toward the sound of the still fast-beating hearts of my old friends.

Edward would have followed me, but Esme put a restraining hand on his shoulder and for once, he listened.

The walk to two aisles over seemed incredibly long. Neither boy talked yet. I couldn't believe they'd recognized me. I guessed it was because they knew me so well before. I thought back, trying to figure out what had triggered it. I'd smiled. It was the same strained smile I had whenever Mike overstepped the friendship boundary. I guessed Tyler must have seen me wear that expression a lot too.

How could I have been so stupid? Summer vacation had just started. All my friends were back from their freshman year in college. What was I thinking being out in public where I could easily run into them?

I turned into the chip aisle from the opposite end we'd left. Mike and Tyler were facing the other way. I knew they couldn't hear me so I stepped down a bit harder; my shoes slapped the ground loud in the silence.

Both boys spun around and their eyes widened further as they saw who it was. Mike even took a step back.

"Wait," I said pleadingly. My high soprano seemed to alarm then even more. One glance at each other and they both backed up.

"No! Please, listen to me. I'm not going to hurt you. I know what you guys were saying. And you're right, I am Bella."

They now seemed rooted to the spot. I continued, deciding spur-of-the-moment to be as honest as possible, "I can't tell you how, and you can't tell anyone, please. Because if you do, my whole family will be killed for revealing our secret." My voice broke and my eyes burned. I heard Esme and Edward scuffle a bit and Esme whisper, "You can't. She'll be fine."

I cleared my throat and tried to get back control. "Please don't tell anyone, you guys, please. Can you do that one thing for me, as my friends? Can you keep it to yourselves and protect my family and me?"

I stopped. Tyler had opened his mouth to talk. He closed it and opened it again. "Who's going to kill you?"

"I can't tell you. Can you please just trust me? I don't want to lose them." I put on the full power of my eyes, which I knew from personal experience would make a human agree to almost anything. Sure enough both of them blinked, dazed. I spoke even faster.

"Please promise you won't tell anyone who I am or anything else you've assumed or guessed about us."

They both shook their heads in identical movements, as if trying to clear them. It would have been funny if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Sure," "Okay," they answered.

"Thank you," I said relieved.

I walked slowly forward and pecked each of them on the cheek, then I left,

When we got outside, grocery less, Edward said quickly, "I need to keep an eye on them to see if they change their minds."

"Don't kill them!" I demanded.

"I won't," he hugged me tight and kissed me brief but fierce, "I love you."

"I love you."

He let me go and sprinted into the forest. Esme and I headed for the Volvo, a phone already to her ear. She was quickly explaining the siuation to Carlisle. "Call Jasper," she said when she'd finished, "He needs to know what's going on."

Internally I was berating myself for my stupidity. Why did I even look at them? I should have realized they might recognize me. Now we were going to have to leave for sure, we couldn't take the risk of raising any more suspicion. Charlie was going to be so upset. For a moment I thought about taking him with us, but then I realized his disappearance would just make this situation that much worse. Not only that, but he had Sue to think of and I doubted she wanted to be dragged along with a bunch of fleeing vampires. Why'd I do this to Charlie? How could I have been so stupid?

Esme interrupted my thoughts, "This isn't your fault, Bella. People have been suspicious ever since we told them Edward was taking a break from college."

I remembered that too. While all the rest of the Cullens who were supposed to be at college stayed in hiding during the school months, Edward had accompanied me on multiple occasions to Charlie's house and been spotted along with Nessie and me. So we had to make up another cover story. Maybe the people of Forks would have eventually figured it out, but I'd just made it that much sooner. At least if they had on their own we would have had a few more months with Charlie. And been able to see his wedding. That sent another stab through my heart- Charlie's wedding- I was supposed to be a bridesmaid, along with Alice. I continued on with these regrets, noting strangely that my shield was still in place. I didn't bother to push it away; Edward couldn't hear me anyway. Esme tried to comfort me, but I barely noticed her words.

Esme parked in the garage and we got out, slammed our doors and were in the house in two seconds.

Everyone was still as stone except for Jacob and Alice. The latter of who ran straight for us.

"Bella, I'm so sorry! If I hadn't been so worked up about Jasper I would have seen this. I should have never let my vision slip through like this. It's all my fault. And now we won't be able to go to the wedding."

I interrupted her, "Stop, Alice. I know you were worried. It's not your fault, if anything it's mine."

Esme and Alice both burst into objections at the same time a pacing Jacob announced, "I have an idea."

All eyes fell on him but he kept his locked on Renesmee, who he was holding, her hand pressed against his cheek. "What if you moved, but stayed close, in hiding, and only came out to see Charlie?"

"But Jake," I argued reasonably, "Someone would see us, just like they did with Edward, Nessie and me."

Jacob seemed undeterred. He waved away my idea with a large hand, "Not if you come from the forest and sneak through the back door. You'll have to leave this place empty, though. So just make a new house; it shouldn't take long. Build it in the forest behind Charlie's and bring all your stuff with you," he gestured around the room at the piano and all the furniture, "You could be gone in a week, no problem."

"You're brilliant, Jake!" I said, a smile breaking across my face as hope began to seep into me. "That might just work."

"It will!" Alice said, grinning wide, "I can't see us leaving anymore."

Everyone's postures became relaxed as we began to talk construction. All the Cullen men had studied architecture at one point or another in college. Jasper and Rosalie had taken classes about electricity and Emmett volunteered to take online classes in plumbing and immediately sat in front of the computer to sign up. Alice and Esme would be the interior decorators and at that point we ran into a problem. What would the new house look like? But after a little discussion it was decided we'd remake this one. It was one of the most comfortable homes they'd lived in.

By the time Edward got home later that night I'd finally pushed my shield away again. He informed us that Mike and Tyler wouldn't be giving us away any time soon. The joy in the house was almost tangible. We told him of our building plans as Esme and Alice left in the Porsche to hunt down carpeting, chandeliers and counters.

When Jasper returned early at midnight he, Edward and Carlisle headed off to get building supplies. I stayed home with Jake and Nessie while Rosalie drove to Seattle to buy wires and plugs.

It was two o 'clock in the morning when Rose got back and the two of us went to survey the land behind Charlie's. We found a good, even location about eight miles west of my old home and began tearing out trees to form a large clearing. We dragged each tree to the base of the mountains, and made it look like they'd been uprooted by the wind.

This was all going so fast it was extremely disconcerting, I mused as we ran back to the house to find Jacob and Nessie assembling the furniture downstairs. Just the morning before Edward and I had left our little cottage to spend a normal day with Jacob and Nessie and then a regular shopping trip with Esme when she'd gotten back. And now everything had changed. The whole family was being uprooted. We hadn't even told Charlie yet; he wouldn't be able to visit us anymore as we would no longer have a driveway. I assumed we would have to lock up the garage tight and leave the cars there, so we'd still be able to go on trips out of town. No more shopping at the Safeway. Jake and Seth would have to get their own food. And even though we would still be able to stay near Charlie, there was still no way we could attend the wedding. All this because I'd decided to go grocery shoping in a town full of familiar faces and smiled at two humans I knew well. Stupid, stupid, stupid. There was nothing I could so about it now, though, so I put all my efforts into helping with the moving and construction. When the men returned, Carlisle and Edward driving semi-trucks piled with construction supplies, I hauled the most to the sight of the new house. I assisted with whatever I could, and when Alice and Esme returned I applied carpeting, painted walls and glued cupboards. Even Nessie helped, listening to Alice's decorative advice with rapt attention. Once the new house, a perfect replica of the first, was complete we filled it with all the furniture and soon the old house lay bare.

In less than three days my family stood gathered outside this new, but familiar place. The only differences were there was no garage and no river adding its peaceful background noise to the scenery. Edward, Nessie and I would stay at our cottage, as no one knew of its existence anyway.

On the first day of work I'd given Charlie a quick call, describing the problem and our plan to solve it. After reassuring him that we wouldn't be leaving town I told him we'd be visiting as soon as possible and not to stop by; I didn't want him to know just how fast the move was going. Once we finished I decided we'd go see him. I took Nessie and Edward's hands and we made the eight mile run to Charlie's house, the wind whipping past us as we flew the exhilarating distance.


End file.
